As Time Passes
by Muggle Jane
Summary: A series of one-shots from the same 'verse, written for various challenges. Ratings and genres vary!
1. Until You Say Yes

**A/N: I do not own any canon characters or settings.**

**Written for the All Year Long Competition and the Duct Tape Challenge. Rated K, genre: romance  
**

Lavender Brown's sensitive nose picked up the pleasant smell of that familiar cologne as soon as the door opened. "Hello, Seamus," she greeted her old schoolmate from behind the counter of Flourish and Blotts. "Can I help you with something?" The shop was fairly quiet, it was mid-morning at the end of February. Ever since he'd discovered she was working there a couple of weeks ago, Seamus seemed to come up with an excuse to be in the shop every day or every other day, and she found she quite looked forward to his visits.

"I found something," he told her, walking up to the counter. He placed a small rectangular piece of thick, glossy paper on it. "Look at this, then."

She watched as a four-year-younger version of herself was dancing with a younger Seamus, and then the two of them turned toward the camera with a cheesy grin. "That's the Yule Ball, isn't it?" she asked, watching their younger selves with a sense of fond nostalgia.

"That's right. I was going through some old things and I found it."

"I looked quite pretty back then, didn't I?" She tried to keep her tone light, but there was a trace of melancholy just below the surface.

"You still are, Lavender, you just have a bit more character now," he told her sincerely.

"Character. That's one way to put it." Her initial delight at seeing the picture vanished and she pushed it back across the counter to him. "Is there anything I can help you with today?"

"Well, I was thinking about how much fun we had that night, and I was thinking we could give it a go again."

She frowned. "You mean, go out on a date?"

"That's right. I don't know of any Yule Balls going on in February, but I'm sure we could find something to do." He gave her a very charming smile.

"I don't think so, Seamus. Thanks for asking." She was reluctant to say no, and it reflected in her voice.

"Why not?" he asked. "You enjoy spending time with me and I'm running out of reasons to come into the shop."

She laughed at that for a moment, and then her face fell again. "You know why."

"Explain it to me, then."

She met his twinkling blue eyes. "I'm a werewolf, Seamus."

"I know. It's not a full moon, though, right now you're just a woman. A very pretty woman," he added with a characteristic grin. "We always had a laugh."

"It's complicated. I don't think you want to get caught up in... all of this." She pointed to where the mass of scars on her chest were visible just above the collar of her shirt.

"I very much want to get caught up in all of that," he replied, and she found herself blushing at his words. "Come out with me, Lavender."

She shook her head.

* * *

He came back the next day, and the next day, and every day she worked. February passed into March. She was standing on a stepladder, shelving books, when the bell above the door rang as it opened and she smelled the scent she'd grown to love and dread. She looked down and, sure enough, there was Seamus grinning up at her from the bottom of the ladder. "Can I help you with anything?" she asked, just as she always did.

"Not unless you'll come out for a drink with me when you're through with work."

She sighed. "You know I can't."

"Then I'm just going to stay here until you can," he told her. Sure enough, he walked to where one of the stuffed chairs was waiting for people to sit and read and he sat down, his eyes locked on hers. "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just going to sit here quietly until you say yes."

She was very aware of his eyes on her as she put away the rest of the books. His scent quickly filled the shop, not obnoxiously but just there enough to distract her. She climbed down the ladder and he was still watching her as she went back to the open crate that sat behind the counter. She picked up a few more books and went through the bookshelves to put them away.

He was still there a few hours later when it was time for her to close the shop, his eyes silently on her. He left when she asked him to, and was waiting just outside when she stepped out the door to lock up behind her.

"Goodnight, Seamus," she told him.

"Right then, I'll see you in the morning."

She looked at him a little alarmed. "You're coming back tomorrow?"

"Of course I am. Or you could just come and have a drink with me now," he suggested.

She stared at him, considering. She really did want to. "One drink," she said at last, giving in.


	2. An Old Friend From School

**A/N: Written for the All Year Long Competition, the Duct Tape Challenge (prompt: White Zebra), and the I Dare You challenge.**

**Rated T**

Hermione stepped in the front door of the Hog's Head Inn. Aberforth was behind the bar as he usually was and the two exchanged a nod in greeting. But the person she was there to see- he was tucked away in a corner, a mug of amber liquid already sitting on the table in front of him.

She crossed the dirty floor and sat down at the table, one chair to his left. "Hi, Dean," she offered with a smile.

He looked at her for a moment, his mouth turned up in an amused smile. "Fancy seeing you here," he told her. "Do you want to get a drink before we go up and get started?"

She shook her head. "No." Her heart was racing, just a little, at the thought of what they were going to do. At what she was going to do.

"This is for you anyway. Something tells me you'll need to relax a little. It's thirsty work, too." He pushed the mug across to her.

She reluctantly picked it up and had some. "Firewhiskey?"

"You'll need more than just Gryffindor courage to get you through this." He gave her a very serious look. "Why did you agree to this, anyway?"

She blushed, staring into the golden liquid. "I've never done anything. I want to do something wild, something crazy."

"And you chose this?"

She shrugged. "It was either this or a Muggle stripclub." She wasn't sure if she was serious or not. And neither was he, by the look on his face.

"Come on, then." He stood up and, after a moment's hesitation, she did as well. "Bring your drink."

She picked it up and trailed after him, headed up the stairs to one of the rooms. The rooms at the inn were surprisingly clean and well-kept, especially considering the state of the bar. And, what's more, they were private. Aberforth was the soul of discretion and there was a considerably smaller chance of running into someone downstairs who would make a fuss.

Dean went right to a door and opened it. He ushered her inside and, after another pause, she went in.

There was a bed, of course, and a desk and a wardrobe. There was also a chair with an easel in front of it and what looked like the Union Jack folded up at the foot of the bed. She raised an eyebrow and turned to him as he softly shut the door behind them. "A flag? Really?"

"It'll be patriotic. They'll love it." He stepped up behind her and took her shoulders, pointing her to where a white sheet was set up as a screen in one of the corners of the room. "Go and get ready, I'll be out here."

If he noticed her hesitation, he pretended not to, stepping away from her and towards the easel where he started to set up.

She went behind the screen. Her cloak came off first, then her blouse and her trousers, and at last her bra and her knickers. When she was completely naked, she pulled her hair out of the plait she'd tried to tame it in and, taking a deep breath and another drink from the mug, stepped out into the room.

Dean was sitting in front of the easel, apparently nonplussed to see her walk back into the main part of the room, completely nude. Then again, he'd probably done this before. When she reached the bed, he looked up at her. "You know I'm going to have to touch you, right? Nothing intimate and I swear it doesn't mean anything. My hands are a little chilly, though," he added apologetically, and she nodded.

She could feel the blush that had spread from her forehead all the way down her body and had another drink. She let him help her onto the bed and drape the flag strategically over her. When he had her where he wanted her, the drink within easy reach on a low table beside the bed, he went and sat down in the chair again.

"You know someone is bound to see this, right?" he asked.

"I know," she replied quietly.

"I just want to make absolutely certain you want to go forward with this. It's probably going to hurt your reputation." He was calm, matter-of-fact, but he sounded a little concerned as well.

She gave him a smile that she hoped was reassuring. "That's what I'm hoping for, honestly."

He picked up a thin pencil and started to sketch. "Why? You can talk, just try not to move your body too much."

"I'm tired of people treating me like I'm this perfect, untouchable being, to be set high on someone's mantle and admired from afar," she told him, surprising both of them with her honesty.

"You're probably going to be called a whore. And worse."

"I know," she whispered. "But I need to do this."

The day wore on. It was surprisingly hard work, keeping still enough for Dean to capture the provocative image of her barely covered by the flag. At last he was done and he came over to help her off the bed. She wrapped the flag around her like a blanket. "Can I see it?"

He took her hand and led her to the other side of the easel. She stared, enraptured. "Do I really look that... sexy?" she asked.

"I've always seen you that way," he answered quietly. When she put her arms around his neck, he shook his head. "I don't sleep with my models."

"I'm not a model anymore," she whispered. "I'm just an old friend from school." She tugged his head down until their lips met.


	3. Planned Out Rebellion

The brown-haired witch browsing through the endless rows of books seemed completely oblivious to the stares and whispers she was drawing from everyone who passed her. She pulled out a book and thumbed through it, nodding as she confirmed it was exactly what she was looking for. She still had her eyes on the pages when she turned and quite suddenly bumped into someone's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry!" came out automatically, and then she looked up to see who she'd actually bumped into. "Remus, hello." A genuine smile lit up her face.

"Hermione?" He seemed a little taken aback at her appearance. "When did you cut your hair?"

The former mane of bushy hair was gone, leaving in its place a close crop of silky brown curls. She ran her hand through it. "I had it done last week, I quite like it. I thought it would be nice and cool for the summer."

"You look really different." He stared for a moment. "It suits you, I mean. Merlin, did I leave my manners in bed this morning?" He gave her a familiar self-deprecating smile. "So what brings you to Hogsmeade this fine spring morning?"

"Bit of shopping." She held up the book. "You?"

"The same. Would you care to join me?"

"Love to. Just let me pay for this." She walked to the counter and paid for her book, silently shadowed by the tall werewolf. The young wizard behind the counter turned an uncomfortable shade of red and wouldn't meet her eyes as she made her purchase. Together, the two friends went out into the late April sunshine.

"What are you on the prowl for?" The wording of her question hadn't been accidental, and he gave her a look of mild censure as they meandered down the street.

"Something for a sweet tooth. Teddy found my hidden supply of chocolate, and it's coming on to the full moon again."

"Did you put it up somewhere high?"

He gave her another look. "Yes. I might have to put a lock on the cupboard door, though. He can barely even walk, and he's figured out how to summon things down for himself." There was affectionate pride in his voice, despite the complaint in his words.

"How are things at the Werewolf Liaison office?"

"Busy." Now he sounded a little frustrated. "With all of the new werewolves infected during the war, I am desperately understaffed, and Kingsley had enough of a struggle just getting me appointed; hiring someone else to help out doesn't look like it's going to be happening for a while."

"That's tough, Remus."

"Still, I am grateful for it, both the position itself and the fact that it exists at all." He grimaced. "It's been slow going and I've met a lot of resistance, but I know that the Minister supports us and my efforts."

They came to Honeydukes. School was in session and it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, so the shop was mostly empty. They weren't in the shop for very long, Remus purchased several bars of Honeydukes chocolate and then they ended up in the Three Broomsticks for a drink.

"I am not looking forward to going home," Remus admitted as he stared into his butterbeer. "Dora has Teddy for the weekend, and Molly always fusses at me when he's not there." He'd been staying with the Weasleys to recover after the war.

"How are things between you?"

"Good, I think." He gave her a measured look. "One of the side-effects of war is that people who maybe shouldn't, end up rushing into relationships with each other."

"Don't I know it," Hermione muttered, smoothing down the back of her hair.

"Right. But I think we're at least friends again, which is good for Teddy."

"That's good." There was a pause, then she picked up a previous thread from the conversation. "Surely you've completely recovered by now, why haven't you found somewhere else to live?"

"Teddy. Dora's on call even on her nights off, and I wouldn't be able to go and get him if I'm curled up asleep under my desk."

Hermione frowned. "What about Andromeda?"

A humorless smile twisted his lips. "Let's just say she's not fond of me."

An eyebrow arched in surprise. "She'd really refuse to take Teddy if Tonks got called into work?"

"If it was because of me, yes. She says she would, anyway. I imagine she would if she had to, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's to always take a Black at their word." This was punctuated by a wry grin.

"What about another friend?" she suggested. "I'd take him, I know Harry would..."

"We just got back on friendly terms again, I don't even want to imagine what would happen if I suggested having him stay with someone else for the full moon."

"But Harry's his godfather! Isn't that what godfathers are for? And I can't imagine Tonks would mind."

"She wouldn't, but Andromeda would, and Andromeda would pick at Dora about it until it was a problem." There was a frustrated sort of finality in those words.

"Ah." Her eyebrows drew down in thought as she tried to find another solution. "And Molly would fuss, of course. 'Why did you even move out if I'm going to have to come and get him at all hours of the night?'"

He nodded. "Right."

"What about a flatmate?"

He shook his head. "That is a lot to put on a flatmate. A nanny would be the ideal solution but, because I'm a werewolf, that comes with a rather large price tag."

She rested her hand on his arm in sympathy. "Sorry, Remus. If there's anything I can do, let me know."

He pressed her hand with his own. "Thank you. I was thinking about asking Luna after she's finished with school."

She nodded and took her hand back to have a sip of her drink. "That's a really good idea. I think she'd go for it, I know she's eager to keep busy."

"Teddy is definitely busy." They shared a smile. "So what about you?"

She watched him for a moment, keeping her face carefully neutral. "What about me, what?"

"The hair. The clothing." He gave her a pointed look. "The portrait. Very patriotic, by the way."

She was wearing a shirt that was a lot tighter with a lot lower neck than anything she would have thought about putting on even a year ago, and a pair of Muggle jeans that looked almost painted on. "You've seen it?"

"Of course I've seen it, I think all of wizarding Britain has seen it."

Her cheeks went a little pink, but she tried to play it off casually. "What did you think?"

"That you were naked and draped with a flag. Merlin, Hermione, what were you thinking?"

She narrowed her eyes a little. "I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and said, 'Merlin, you're boring.' I'm tired of being boring, predictable Hermione."

"So you had a stranger paint you in the nude?"

"Not a stranger." The flush deepened and spread down her neck and the readily displayed cleavage. "A friend. I want everyone to see who I really am. It was either that or a Muggle stripclub."

He regarded her for a moment, a look of sympathy and understanding on his face. "I'm not in a position to judge you for putting on a different face for the public, but I am going to tell you, as a friend, to think very hard about what you're doing. If you have to come up with things to do to show people who you really are, then maybe that's _not_ who you really are."

She folded her arms and sat back in her chair. "I'm tired of being me, Remus. I've never done anything."

He folded his arms as well. "Don't be so modest. You are an accomplished and successful potioneer, and at such a young age. You're responsible for improving the Wolfsbane potion, making it more accessible to everyone. Which, given my position, I feel I'm qualified to say is very important to society- invaluable, even. And not just us, but our friends and families and everyone we come in contact with. That's not nothing."

"That's not what I mean," she snapped, drawing a few stares from their fellow patrons. She glanced around and cleared her voice before continuing in a quieter tone. "I didn't really do anything in school. The year that I was supposed to spend snogging in broom cupboards and skinny-dipping in the lake was spent on the run, hungry and cold. I haven't really even had a boyfriend. Viktor was..." A fresh blush rose in her cheeks. "A good fling. Ron took me for granted because I'm boring and predictable and he thought I'd be waiting for him when he finished doing the victory rounds."

"Putting out a nude portrait seems like a bit of an extreme reaction to never having had a boyfriend." He seemed a little amused.

"That's just a symptom of the problem. I've never been drunk- well, I hadn't at least. I've never made questionable decisions." She sighed. "Again, I hadn't. I have now, I think. But the point is, I've never really done anything just for me."

"I'm dealing with the consequences of my questionable decisions right now, and I can tell you that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Teddy is, hands-down, the absolute best thing that's ever happened to me. But he came with his own unique set of problems, and sometimes it's almost too much to even think about dealing with." He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. "You can do something for yourself without making questionable decisions. You cut your hair, which looks good. There's got to be someone out there who's caught the great bookworm's eye."

She traced a finger through the condensation on the outside of her mug and looked very intently at the pattern she was making. "Yes. I don't really think he'd ever look at me twice."

"You can bet he's looked more than that now."

Hermione was blushing often enough to put a Weasley to shame. "That was sort of the point."

"That's a rather extreme thing to do to catch a man's eye," he observed mildly.

She grinned. "True. But I'm tired of being known as the bossy swot."

"Well, now hopefully he'll know you as the bossy swot with nice legs." He gave her a cheeky wink that she was sure would have put Sirius to shame.

"Thanks!" she protested. She was laughing, though.

He chuckled as well. "Take it from me, though," he started when they'd wound down, "if he can't see you for the brilliant, beautiful witch you are without you changing to please him, he's not worth it."

"He likes me just fine, he just doesn't see me as anything other than his brother's know-it-all friend." When she realized what she'd just said, she lifted her chin and met his eyes defiantly.

"I hope this young man doesn't work for the Ministry, then, because a certain red-haired wizard of our mutual acquaintance has decided that you need to be lectured on what's appropriate for a witch to do." They shared a grin. "And his mother will very probably have something to say to you about it."

"That's why it's a portrait and it was submitted to a Muggle art magazine." She was really proud of that idea, and it came across in her voice. "It's not pornography, it's art."

"And the D. Thomas who painted this portrait, is he a former Gryffindor in your year, then?" At her nod, he shook his head and chuckled again. "Even your rebellion is carefully planned out to the letter."

She joined him laughing again. "It's a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"

"It's very you, Hermione."

"Do you have any plans for this evening?" she asked on impulse.

"Besides being fussed at by Molly?" He sighed. "I appreciate everything she's done for me, but she's very..." he trailed off, seemingly not wanting to be unkind.

"Managing?" she supplied helpfully. "I'm well aware."

"You could come for dinner," Remus suggested. "I'm sure she'd much rather have a go at you."

"I was thinking more along the lines of going out into Muggle London and getting a kebab."

His eyebrows lifted. "You don't have a date?" he asked, pointedly looking her over.

She flushed in response. "I do, but I'm thinking about not going. I'd much rather eat greasy food with a friend."

"Sounds brilliant. I'll send a Patronus; do you want to stop by the post office first so you can send an owl to your date?"

She nodded and smoothed down the back of her hair. "That's probably a good idea." They got up and left the inn together.

**A/N: Written for the All Year Long Competition, the Favorite Character Pairing Challenge (Remus/Hermione), the Duct Tape Challenge (Pink Zebra) and the Cinema Challenge (Rocky Horror Picture Show)**


End file.
